Yonex VCORE 98+ Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

The VCORE 98+ has all the ingredients of a dangerous weapon from the baseline. Troy found that this update provided easy plow through, just like the previous version, the VCORE SV 98+. He also noticed a big increase in flexibility, which was an upside for him. He explained, "I was a big fan of the last version, but it was a bit stiff for my liking and lacked feel. This update addressed those two issues very well. Even with the increase in flex, the VCORE 98+ packed plenty of punch to put away groundstrokes with ease. It felt a bit more solid than the EZONE 98+ (305g) when I was slugging groundstrokes, but not as stiff as the VCORE SV 98+; it was a nice middle ground for me. I appreciated the easy power the most on my two-handed backhand drives. During my first couple of hitting sessions I found the power to be a bit hard to control on my forehands. After I adjusted, though, I was able to dial in on my targets and use the power to my benefit. The high swingweight and stable feel helped me drive through balls with ease on my slice backhands. The more groundstrokes I hit with this racquet, the more it started to feel like an extension of my arm. The VCORE 98+ allowed me to hit winners from areas of the court that I just can't with a standard length racquet."

Michelle started off by reminiscing about the racquet the VCORE 98+ replaces. She recalled, "The VCORE SV 98+ was one of my favorite racquets, and I have recently been hitting a bunch with an older Babolat Pure Drive Roddick Plus. That being said, the first thing I noticed about this update was its softer, more flexible feel. The specs are nearly identical, apart from a lower stiffness rating and one less cross string, but that was enough to make it feel noticeably different. I didn't love drilling with this racquet, mainly because I don't always like a more flexible beam. However, the specs were right in my wheelhouse so I can't really complain, and the racquet worked well for me during point play and in pressure situations. I could ramp up big power, and spin was easy to generate. Although I still prefer the stiffer SV 98+, I can appreciate this update's plow through and depth from the baseline."

Sean made comparisons to the standard-length VCORE 98, saying, "The VCORE 98+ had plenty of plow through and punch, and it offered a more powerful response than the standard-length version. The 340 swingweight was just outside the range of what I can comfortably maneuver, so my racquet head speed was a little slower than I would have liked. This led me to get less topspin than usual, which meant I was hitting a flatter ball with a more linear trajectory. That was beneficial when I wanted to hit through the court, but it made it difficult to hit angles effectively."

"The VCORE 98+ was extremely solid on my groundstrokes," added Erik. "I really enjoyed how plush and comfortable it felt on contact. My slice tended to sit up and stay deep in the court, especially if the ball got away from me. If I moved up to the ball and really focused on hitting it out in front, I could keep the slice nice and low. This racquet was extremely stable due to the swingweight. It wasn't super maneuverable because of the extended length of the frame, but I still generated some good racquet head speed. The VCORE 98+ was good for my game style. I could swing with ease, and the ball would go where I targeted. I could also mix in various amounts of spin and height on my shots."

Volleys - Score: 84

With an extra half-inch of reach, the VCORE 98+ added stability, touch and precision, which made it a great racquet for volleying. Sean liked the softer feel of this update up at net and used it to his advantage. He noted, "This racquet offered loads of stability while being very comfortable. I wouldn't say it had great touch, but it was still very capable at hitting angles and drop volleys. The biggest downside was when the ball was hit right at me; it was hard to get the extra length into position in front of my body."

While Michelle didn't love the VCORE 98+'s softer feel on her groundstrokes, she appreciated it at net. Michelle said, "This racquet actually worked quite well for me when I was volleying. It offered good feel and stability. The maneuverability was just fine; it wasn't too demanding and it was easy to get into place quickly. I felt relatively connected to the ball, and I could pull the trigger and hit big aggressive volleys to put points away or block big balls back. Plus, that extra reach is always appreciated at the net!"

At times, Erik felt that the VCORE 98+ was a bit sluggish due to the extra length, but he appreciated the feel. He said, "The VCORE 98+ was quite responsive, and I found myself hitting deeper volleys with this racquet. I was a little less connected to the ball on drop volleys and found myself wanting to hit the ball deep rather than short due to the extra length. However, it was still a very solid racquet to hit volleys with due to the plush feel."

Troy found a very stable feel on his volleys. He said, "When I volleyed an incoming shot that had a lot of pace, the VCORE 98+ made it easy to block the ball back deep. I never felt like the racquet was getting pushed around, and I found it easy to generate put-away power on my volleys. When it came to touch and feel, I was pleasantly surprised. The increased flex and plusher feel, compared to the VCORE SV 98+, allowed me to execute drop volleys with more confidence. There were times when I found the previous version a bit jarring on contact, but this update provided a softer feel, even when I made contact slightly off center. Initially, I found the extended length and high swingweight cumbersome, but after a couple of sessions I became more comfortable with the maneuverability. When I was playing doubles I choked up a bit on the handle, which seemed to help me manage the high swingweight, and I found that I could play really aggressively. The response was very predictable, and I could put away volleys with a lot of pace when I needed to."

Serves - Score: 91

Although our playtesters all have their own preferences when it comes to a racquet's serving specs, they unanimously agreed that the VCORE 98+ started points on the right foot. "In all honesty, I wasn't expecting to have a strong opinion on this racquet's serve," said Michelle. "But I loved it! The mass really helped the ball penetrate the court and let me push my opponents back with flatter first serves. I found it to be a consistently good racquet to serve with. I have noticed that I gravitate toward racquets with decent mass, specifically when serving, and the VCORE 98+ definitely delivered in this playtest. The open string pattern also allowed me to move the ball around and get some good kick or slice going on my second serves. I was always happy to serve with this racquet."

Sean generally enjoys serving with extended-length racquets, and the VCORE 98+ was no exception. He said, "The VCORE 98+'s little extra pop added some confidence when I stepped up to the line, and I almost felt like I was 5-foot-11. As I've experienced with other extended-length racquets, I had some control issues because of the extra power, but more time with the racquet and some added spin remedied those problems."

Troy found a lot of power on tap with this racquet. He explained, "The VCORE 98+'s power level on serves was pretty close to the version it replaces. This update wasn't quite as powerful on my serves as the Prince Textreme Beast Pro 100 Longbody, but it made it easy to generate pace, which was most noticeable on my flat first serves. The high swingweight helped pancake the ball when I went for a flat serve down the T, but I had to rein in the power on slice and kick serves. Initially, I struggled a bit to get the ball to dive down inside the service box. My second serve was a bit inconsistent, which was probably due to the combination of the extra length and high swingweight. After I had served up a couple baskets of balls I got the hang of it, and I could start using this racquet as a weapon. Once I dialed in the depth, my kick serves jumped off the court with a lot of pace and spin. My control and placement were good, similar to the control I get from my Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330). The big upside was the free power I got from the Yonex VCORE 98+, which made it difficult for me to want to put this racquet down when it came time for match play."

Erik also thoroughly enjoyed serving with this racquet. He added, "The VCORE 98+ provided a good amount of easy power. Sometimes that power was a little overwhelming for me, and I found myself hitting serves long. But once I dialed in on the serve, I had a great time with this racquet. There was a lot of power and spin on my second serve. At times I felt like I had to hit more spin to compensate for the power of the frame and to keep the ball from going long. My favorite serves were the kick serve up the T on the deuce side and the kick serve out wide on the ad side."

Returns - Score: 84

The hefty swingweight of the VCORE 98+ became especially apparent when our playtesters were returning serves. Erik quickly realized that he could be aggressive on returns with this racquet in hand, though he got a bit too much power at times. He described, "I felt like I had to hold back sometimes. Off first serves, I could chip back returns quite deep with ease, and I could be precise with my topspin returns and get them deep in the court. The VCORE 98+ was extremely stable and solid on contact. The only downside was that it was a little difficult to maneuver at times, and I would occasionally hit the ball late."

"As Michelle likes to say, this racquet was sort of a guilty pleasure for me when it came to returns," stated Troy. "I wanted to slap at any serve near my strike zone for a winner, and I didn't feel too bad about it because a lot of these slap shots landed in. When I got in the zone I could rip returns hard and flat, and get them deep in the court. If I had a downside, it was defending against hard-hit body serves. The extra length made it a bit difficult to fend off balls hit at me. When I used the previous iteration I found the feel on contact to be a bit firm when I made contact off center. This VCORE 98+ felt much plusher and smoother on contact, which allowed me to be fearless when attacking the ball and taking returns on the rise. As I have mentioned on previous reviews of extended-length racquets, this racquet made my two-handed backhand return better. I generated easy power on this shot, and it also extended my range. I was very pleased with my ability to return with this racquet."

"I found pretty good precision and accuracy when ripping returns with this VCORE 98+," said Michelle. "This racquet felt stable on every shot, and with a good amount of mass at my disposal, I could get the ball moving aggressively. Blocking bigger serves back was positive as well, and I could send the ball back deep into the court to keep me alive in the point. I love returning with extended-length racquets, and this one was no exception."

Sean tends to have some difficulty returning with racquets that have a high swingweight. He explained, "Because I value maneuverability more than stability when returning, I sometimes struggle with high-swingweight racquets. The pace of the serve coming in was already heavy enough that sometimes I felt like the energy return from the VCORE 98+ was too much, and consequently the ball was launching on me. I found that the best solution was to exaggerate a shortened stroke."

Overall - Score: 86